This course introduces learners to the principles of learning and
behavior by surveying relevant theoretical and empirical approaches
within psychology. The overall emphasis is on the theoretical
foundations of psychology as they relate to human learning and
behavior. The following topics will be reviewed: historical
perspectives of early learning theories, prevailing theories of human
development, classical and operant conditioning, effects stimuli have on
learning and behavior, social learning, motivation, cognitive
developmental theory in the context of learning stages and processes,
memory and human information processing models, and problem-solving
methods. Understanding these human processes is an integral part of
psychology and other domains of human behavior, such as marketing,
sports, health, education and relationships. Learning theories are an
outgrowth from philosophies of thought. The philosophical approaches of
rationalism and empiricism, and the works of Plato and Descarte form the
underpinnings of learning theory. However, developments in psychology
added an interest in objectivity and scientific research to demarcate
the psychological approach to learning. From this impulse stemmed the
classical conditioning of Pavlov and the operant conditioning of
Skinner. These early theorists formed the foundation from which we view
learning theory today. Although the early work of the behaviorists
demonstrates a strong emphasis on objective measurement of behaviors
during the learning process, these observations cannot always fully
explain human learning. In other words, human learning cannot be fully
captured by assessment of observable behaviors. Thus, the integration
of internal cognitive processes and external social contexts provide a
more accurate depiction of the full learning process. Learning theory
captures the integration of all these perspectives and a full
understanding of human learning necessitates a review of all these
domains, which we will seek to do in this course.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able
to:

Identify major historical timelines and perspectives
associated with learning theory.

Explain foundational concepts associated with
learning theory.

Integrate common principles of learning theory into
larger domains of psychology.

Align major theorists with specific contributions to
psychology of learning and behavior.

Analyze and describe empirical research as it
relates to effectiveness of learning and behavior management
techniques.

Identify the utilization of psychology of learning and behavior in
domains outside the field of psychology.

Course Requirements

In order to take this course, you must:

√
Have access to a computer.

√
Have continuous broadband Internet access.

√
Have the ability/permission to install plug-ins or software
(e.g. Adobe Reader or Flash)

√
Have the ability to download and save files and documents to a
computer.

√
Have the ability to open Microsoft files and documents (.doc,
.ppt, .xls, etc.).

Tips/Suggestions: This course draws on a wide and diverse set of
resources. As such, the ability to integrate diverse sources of
information will be key. As always, good note taking and highlighting
are strongly encouraged.

Table of Contents: You can find the course's units at the links below.